What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Triethanolamine
BufferingZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Phosphoric Acid
BufferingImidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Diglycerin
Humectant
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Butylparaben
Masking
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Propylparaben
Preservative
Citronellol
Perfuming
Cinnamyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Diglycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Hydroxycitronellal, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Propylparaben, Citronellol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citric Acid, CI 14700
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGeraniol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is the main component of citronellol. It is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol.
Monoterpenes are naturally found in many parts of different plants.
Geraniol can be found in many essential oils including Rose Oil and Citronella Oil. The scent of Geraniol is often described as "rose-like". Many foods also contain Geraniol for fruit flavoring.
Geraniol can irritate the skin when exposed to air. However, irritation depends on the ability of geraniol to penetrate into the skin. In general, geraniol is not able to penetrate skin easily.
Geraniol is colorless and has low water-solubility. However, it is soluble in common organic solvents.
Like citronellol, it is a natural insect repellent.
2,6-Octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (2E)-
Learn more about GeraniolGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinHydroxycitronellal is a fragrance created from citronellal. The smell of hydroxycitronellal is often described as "citrus-like" or "melon-like".
Hydroxycitronellal is a known EU allergen and may cause irritation when applied to the skin.
Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolMethyl Gluceth-20 is a humectant. Humectants help draw moisture from the air to your skin.
It is created by combining polyethylene glycol with glucose.
Methylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
